Ray Ratto leaves San Francisco Chronicle for Comcast Sports Net

Ray gave notice yesterday. I didn't see another thread on this. It's another tremendous loss for the newspaper industry. Ratto is one of a kind, one of the few writers who is genuinely funny in print -- not to mention totally twisted, in a good way. He's an institution in San Francisco. Apparently, he'll be doing writing for the Comcast website as well as TV work.

I wish him well, but I'm said to see him leave the Chron.

 

Ratto is awesome. Loved his column on the Big12/Pac10 shift. He has the rare gift to appeal to avid sports fans and casual readers.

 

Should have seen this coming ... he's been doing fill-in work on KNBR radio as well.

 

Ray's an old pal, whom I admire to the max. I am sorry I will no longer have the opportunity to read him.

 

you'll still be able to read him, because as the original message said, "Apparently, he'll be doing writing for the Comcast website as well as TV work."

 

One day, I'll read one of these threads without somebody calling it "a tremendous loss to the newspaper industry."
It's not. Ray's one of the best people and writers in the business -- not many with his enormous talent are as genuine -- but there no longer is a "newspaper industry."
There's a "journalism industry" that takes many forms, and Ray's still in it.
If he'd left to be a pharmaceutical salesman, that would have been a tremendous loss.

 

Well said, Twoback

 

This part is true all by itself, too.

Good for Ray.

Sat at a big round table in a media dining area at a major sporting event recently with about 10 sportswriters who had logged between 7 and 30 years in newspapers. Not one of them was working for a newspaper anymore, having moved on to Web sites or broadcast outlets or both. These are top-notch pros who gave a ton and had plenty more to give papers, yet all were either laid off, bought out or made to feel the exit would be shown to them soon enough.

Not a one of them said he/she would go back into print.

 

I love this thread if only for the threadstarter's name...and not just because I'm a Democrat.